The recent outbreak and spread of coronavirus has many people around the world on edge. It may have started in Wuhan, China, but it quickly spread to other parts of China and then to other countries.
The latest strain of the coronavirus is a respiratory illness, one that begins with the typical symptoms of a bad cold or the flu – cough, fever, breathing trouble. But it can quickly transform into pneumonia and worse. Hundreds of people have died thus far, with tens of thousands reporting coronavirus infections.
With the disease having traveled well beyond the borders of China, many people in Australia have grown concerned. Since it seems to be easily transferable from person to person through the air, people are more wary of public places. A casino seems to be a particularly unsafe place to be, especially when cards, casino chips, and money changes hands so frequently. This is why the government of Macau ordered the closure of all of its casinos for two weeks.
Australian Casinos
People will continue to go to casinos. And it is not particularly dangerous to simply be in contact with other people, if proper precautions are taken.
Whether playing slots or table games, it is important that gamblers remain safe. There are numerous ways to do this.
- The casinos’ unprecedented coronavirus shutdown ended a year to the day after Pritzker’s massive expansion went into effect, introducing sports betting, casino games at racetracks, expanded.
- Casinos are built for escapism, but there is no escaping COVID-19, so that means masks, temperature checks, fewer games to play and constant reminders to physically distance as more gaming.
Wash Hands
There are several hotel-casinos in the Las Vegas area that are still closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. At this time, it is unknown if these properties will reopen.
This is a basic but essential way to stay safe from coronavirus…or any virus. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. And when that option is not available, use an alcohol-based anti-bacterial hand rub.
Washing one’s hands is actually the very first and most basic suggestion from the World Health Organization as to staying safe from viruses.
Keep a Distance
Do not walk or stand too close to others if possible. Try to remain at least one meter from strangers, especially those who cough, sneeze, or display other cold symptoms.
This is easier said than done in a casino. People are typically in close proximity to each other, especially when playing table games like craps, blackjack, or poker. In blackjack, people are touching the same cards, so hand sanitizer is essential – even if done after every hand of blackjack. In poker, players touch the same chips and cards and are seated directly next to one another. This also requires a good bit of hand sanitizer.
When playing slot machines, simply move to another machine if someone sits too close or exhibits cold symptoms. The same goes for table games and poker. If possible and not playing poker professionally, it might be wise to play less at this time.
Avoid Touching One’s Face
When in a public environment like a casino, avoid touching your own eyes, nose, and mouth. This is how germs spread immediately. Use tissues or touch your face after washing your hands with soap. The virus can also spread from a surface to a person, so this is an especially important rule.
Wear a Mask
Masks are sometimes overused, but this is not one of them. People in casinos should wear masks to avoid breathing germs. With the starting point of the virus so close to Australia and with so many people traveling from Asia to Australia regularly – especially for tourism and gambling purposes – Australian casino patrons should be extra careful.
If there are no masks available in stores, contact a pharmacy, doctor, or hospital.
Wash Clothing After a Casino Visit
This pertains to any situation in which you are surrounded by a lot of people. Do not attempt to wear clothes more than once. Remove the clothes worn to the casino and immediately put them in a closed hamper or container until you are able to wash them.
Stay Home if Sick
Casinos will not advise this, as they will rarely ever turn customers away. But the World Health Organization suggests that if you have any cold symptoms whatsoever, it is best to stay home to keep germs away from others. How to win big at craps. And if the cold progresses into a fever or any other symptoms associated with coronavirus, it is important to see a doctor immediately for testing and care.
Practice Food Safety
Eat only well-cooked food, especially in public. It is believed that animals can carry the virus. In addition, undercooked food can also carry germs from the food preparers.
Play Online
The safest way to play casino games these days is online. One doesn’t have to leave home, take the time to travel to a casino, or come into contact with any other people.
Another benefit to playing online is the availability of many more games than any one casino can offer. Casinos like Joka Room and Playamo have a very wide range of slots and table games. Online video poker. Fair Go Casino offers slots especially for Aussie players and in Aussie currency.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Unions representing 65,000 Las Vegas-area casino workers accused some resort operators on Monday of putting employees at risk of illness and death during the coronavirus pandemic by skimping on safety measures like a requirement for mask-wearing.
“They want to work, but they want to work safe,” Culinary Union executive Geoconda Argüello-Kline said of hotel housekeepers, cooks, bartenders, vehicle valets and others. “We’re going to do whatever we need to do to protect these workers, these families and this community.”
A lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas does not directly cite the death last week of Adolfo Fernandez, 51, a Caesars Palace porter and union member from Las Vegas who was diagnosed with the COVID-19 respiratory illness after returning to work when casinos reopened June 4 after a three-month shutdown.
However, Fernandez’s daughter, Irma Fernandez, told reporters that her father had expressed worries that he would become sick.
The lawsuit points to the experiences of employees at an eatery at Harrah’s Las Vegas, valets and porters at the Signature Condominiums towers at MGM Grand resort, and restaurant kitchen workers at the Bellagio casino.
It accuses the properties of operating for nearly three weeks without requiring guests to use masks and facial coverings to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 respiratory illness. It seeks a court order under federal collective bargaining law to force resorts to tighten safety measures.
Biloxi Casinos And Coronavirus
Harrah’s operator Caesars Entertainment declined to comment about the lawsuit. A company spokesman acknowledged Fernandez’s death with a statement that didn’t name him. It said officials had not determined how he contracted the virus and noted that some co-workers had been placed on paid leave in self-isolation.
Representatives of MGM Grand and Bellagio owner MGM Resorts International did not immediately respond to messages.
Las Vegas Casinos And Coronavirus
“Defendants recognized the critical importance of mask-wearing .. by requiring their own employees to wear masks at all times,” the civil complaint declares.
But despite “overwhelming evidence of the importance of mandating facial coverings by guests in public areas of casinos and hotels,” the document says, “defendants, along with other casinos and hotels in southern Nevada only ‘encouraged’ guests to wear face masks.”
“This irresponsible act undoubtedly led to spread of COVID-19,” the complaint said.
Nevada has reported increases in recent days in the number of people diagnosed with the virus. Just under 18,000 people have tested positive, state health officials reported Monday, and 504 have died.
“We’re not just numbers. We’re families also. We’re human,” said Sixto Zermeno, a 10-year MGM Grand Signature employee who said he noticed little social distancing and few guests wearing masks before he was diagnosed June 11 with COVID-19.
Zermano, 32, said he worried about infecting his parents and said he hadn’t seen his 9-year-old daughter in several weeks.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms for two to three weeks. The vast majority recover. Older adults and people with existing health problems can face severe illness and death.
During the economically devastating casino shutdown imposed in mid-March, union officials consistently called for Gov. Steve Sisolak, the regulatory Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Clark County Commission, which oversees the Las Vegas Strip, to impose strict worker safety measures.
Mississippi Casinos And Coronavirus
“We’ve been very vocal in every single (venue),” Argüello-Kline said Monday. She said 19 union members or people in their immediate family have died from COVID-19 since the outbreak started in Nevada.
Sisolak last Wednesday raised what had been a health safety recommendation about facial coverings to a requirement.
“No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no service,” the governor said. “For Nevada to stay safe and stay open, we must make face coverings a routine part of our daily life.”